Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Russell.
Hi Ian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My Journey into Voiceover started at the end of 2012. For Christmas, my wife bought me a one-day introduction to voiceover as a gift. I had done a little acting on stage before she met me and she wanted to get me a creative gift experience. Little did we know that about a year and a half later, we would be relocating from the UK to the US and I would be in need of work! I decided to set up a Voiceover business and gave myself a year to get established. I attended VO Atlanta for the first time in March 2015. Some of the advice I was given helped me to grow the business and after only two years, I had a viable ongoing business. I re-invested in better equipment, a better studio environment, and more training. I started picking up higher-profile clients and agency representation. In 2019 I entered the One Voice Awards and was surprised with two nominations.
2020 proved to be an astonishing year. The Pandemic hit and it was terrible for so many people but as an industry, voiceover work expanded massively, companies needed new health and safety videos and creators needed talent with great home studios. I guess I was in the right place at the right time. I picked up another three Nominations at the One Voice Awards and was astonished when my name was called for two of them. Best Animation Performance and Male Voice of the Year 2020. 4 further nominations for the Society of Voice Arts (SOVAS) capped a stand-out year. 2021, more accolades, 5 One Voice Nominations, and my name being read out for best Gaming Performance of 2021.
All this for a Native British Accented Actor living in South Carolina – It still feels a little unreal.
I find myself speaking regularly at conferences VO Atlanta 2021 and again this year. The One Voice Conference in Dallas 2021 and in London 2022 and The Georgia Game Development Association (GGDA) 2021.
How did I get here? Without a doubt a lot of hard work and a lot of luck, a certain amount of talent, and continued support from my family. I’ve been fortunate to meet wonderful people along the way. Voiceover is an industry in which the phrase “a rising tide raises all boats” holds so true. We support each other, refer each other to clients, and generally seek to help where we can. Here in Atlanta, I can point to Jeffrey Umberger (ACM), The People Store, and Gerald Griffiths without whom VOAtlanta would not exist, sadly 2022 will be the last one. I am grateful to so many who have supported me. Voiceover is a multifaceted industry. I have enjoyed success in Commercial, Corporate, Gaming, and Animation and I am enjoying discovering new areas including Promo, Dubbing, and InShow narration. Atlanta is a major market for the entertainment business, including voiceover, and I am honored to be a part of it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a small business owner, some of the greatest challenges are in managing all the tasks yourself! I perform Voiceover but I am also the accountant, the legal department, the marketing department, the administrator, and the tech support. Many of these things are unfamiliar territory.
Voiceover is a very crowded business and it’s a challenge to find business opportunities.
As an actor, I love being behind the microphone, creating characters, lifting words from a page, and turning them into a story. The reality is that only 20% or so of our time is taken up with performing for a client. The other 80% is taken up by running a business.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a Voice Actor, I am the sound of the character you see or the narrator of the story you are listening to. It’s all in the name.
Voice – The sounds I make – I’m British. To most people, this would mean I sound like a BBC newsreader. My accent is what is known commonly as Received Pronunciation but I’m also proud to be able to mimic many accents. To date, I have been hired professionally to perform in almost 30 British Regional and International English Accents.
Actor – The ability to take words and weave them into a story performed by a character.
I’m probably best known to the public through my work in video games. Locke in Payday2, Psyker in WH40k Inquisitor Martyr, Igor in Chernobylite are some of the most recognizable titles. But I also specialize in Educational content for companies (E-Learning). With a degree in Chemistry and a career in Finance, Large complicated medical and scientific words and complex legal or financial documents hold no fear.
I’m proud of the fact that I came to the US knowing very few people, knowing little about Voiceover, and setting up a business that has become successful. I’m proud that in just six years, I progressed from a new start-up to winning Voice of the Year in 2020 and I’m proud that a booking for a small character (Locke) in a video game (Payday2) has grown to the extent that he is now the central character, he has a fan base of 12,000 on Twitter and my performance of him received the accolade of best gaming performance in 2021.
Casting decisions lie in the hands of other people so they are the ones who decide whether I stand out but I have a strong and consistent work ethic, I like to over-deliver and I strive to always do what I say I will do. Perhaps these help me stand out.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Perhaps the way in which I met my wife from which so many good things have sprouted. I was working in Holland and she traveled to Holland with a friend for a vacation.
They were staying with her friend’s Uncle (Bill).
Wanting to experience more of the city (The Hague) Bill suggested a visit to his colleague who lived near the beach.
That colleague was me.
We’ve been married 20 years this year.
Pricing:
- Discount 20% when mentioning Voyage Atlanta
Contact Info:
- Email: ian@thebritishvoice.net
- Website: www.british-voiceovers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebritishvoice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebritishvoic2
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebritishvoic2 https://twitter.com/LockePayday
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/IanRussellVoiceActor
Image Credits:
Sandra Russell
